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Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel has threatened to resign if he is not given all the portfolios he possessed in the previous government. The senior BJP leader wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah on Friday evening listing his demands.”In his letter, Nitin Patel, mentioned that he felt insulted as he has been given less significant portfolios. He has told the PM and Shah that he should get all the portfolios, including Finance and Urban Development, within two to three days or else they should accept his resignation,” said a BJP source.However, Patel has denied writing any such letter, but accepted that he has expressed his disagreement.Speaking to DNA, Patel said, “There is nothing wrong in asking for my portfolios back as it is about my self-respect. What is the point of being the deputy chief minister if I hold less important portfolios. I have aired my disagreement to the right person. I do not want to talk much on the issue, but will reveal everything when the time is right.”Sources said Patel also held closed door meeting with former chief minister Anandiben Patel. It has been learnt that she has assured him her support. “Anandiben was stung by Amit Shah and Vijay Rupani. Now, she would take this anti-Shah-Rupani movement into her own hands in the days to come,” said a senior BJP leader on condition of anonymity.

The Rajasthan Urban Infrastructure Development Project (RUIDP) is expected to ink loan agreement with Asian Development Bank for the Rs 4500 crore fourth phase, the second phase of the project is still lagging behind deadline.The second phase planned to ensure development of urban infrastructure at 15 towns of the state with a cost of Rs 1762 crore was expected to be completed by December 2016. An year past the deadline as the officials attempt to ‘financially’ close the project, work related to STP at Bharatpur and sewerage at Jaisalmer are still pending. “The works related to phase two will be completed by June 2018,” urban development minister Shrichand Kriplani said after a department meeting. The second phase including 109 work packages had completed 22 of these in initial 11 months. However, work delayed on rest for various reasons including public agitation and non performing contractors. In November 2015, four contractor firms were debarred by RUIDP for poor performance, yet the project works continued to delay. As of now with work expenditure of nearly Rs 1700 crore the RUIDP claims to have achieved 96 per cent of its target. Meanwhile, the third phase of the project has commenced from 2014 and is expected to be completed by December 2019. Of the 13 cities covered under the phase work orders of Rs 3300 crore have been issued in 11 cities. At the recent meeting the urban development minister has also asked the officials to ensure that contracts for sewerage works in the remaining two cities of Kota and Mount Abu should be finalised soon. DNA was the first to report on the proposed fourth phase of the project in its July 18 edition. The phase will cover 39 cities including 10 heritage cities.

There is a decrease in indicators of malnutrition among children, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Virendra Kumar told Rajya Sabha on Thursday while answering a question pertaining to malnutrition in India.“As per the report of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)–4 in 2015-16, 35.7 per cent children under five years of age are underweight and 38.4 per cent are stunted, indicating a reduction from the previous NFHS–3 conducted in 2005-06, which reported 42.5 per cent children under five years of age as underweight and 48 per cent stunted,” Kumar said.Further, 22.9 per cent women (15-49 years of age) have chronic energy deficiency (BMI less than 18.5) — a decline from the previous NFHS-3 levels which reported 35.5 per cent women having chronic energy deficiency.The important determinants of malnutrition include inadequate food, frequent infections, poverty, low access to health, education, and so on.The approach to tackle the problem is multipronged. While the measures related to women and children are being undertaken by the Health Department through the network of Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres and referral hospitals like AIIMS, the action related to bringing about improvement in the nutritional status is being undertaken by the ministry in the form of various schemes like Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojna under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services Scheme as direct targeted interventions to address the problem of malnutrition in the country.Recently, the Centre has announced the setting up of National Nutrition Mission (NNM) for improving the nutritional indicators of children and pregnant women and lactating mothers.

In view of the Chinese aggression along the Sino-India border, the Indian Army is planning to use both double-humped and single-humped camels along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh on a pilot basis. If the pilot project is a success, camels will be used by the military in the region and in terrains between the altitude of 12,000 and 15,500 feet, a Times of India report said. Under the project, these animals will be trained to patrol and carry heavy loads of ammunition and other supplies. Indian Army traditionally uses mules and ponies in the region which have capacity to carry about 40 kg of load. In comparison, the double-humped (Bactrian) camels can carry between 180-220kg load and can cover a distance of 10 to 15 km within two hours.The Army has already got four single-humped (dromedary) camels to Ladakh from the National Research Centre on Camel in Bikaner.Also readPost Dokalam stand-off, China’s ties with India still fragile, says Global Times op-edThe project is being introduced as part of a measure to check intrusion, months after the Doklam standoff near the Sikkim-Tibet-Bhutan trijunction. The Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), a unit of of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Leh, has already started research on the load-carrying capacity of the Bactrian camels. The DIHAR will assess how the camels can be trained for carrying load in such harsh topography and weather conditions.Also readPost Doklam stand-off, SSB increases presence on India-Bhutan border”The Bactrian camels were inducted at DIHAR in February 2017 for a pilot study on their suitability for border patrolling, load-carrying ability, training, and devise management practices, considering conditions in high altitude.” the DIHAR director was quoted as saying by the daily. In India, double-humped camels are only found in Ladakh’s Nubra Valley and their number ranges around 200.

A new law, which has made it mandatory for spending of a part of revenue made from auctioning mines in developing the areas they are located in, has resulted in improved living conditions of people in these regions, government claimed today.Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told the Lok Sabha that district mineral foundations, which were created after the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act came into being, have received Rs 13,398 crore and Rs 2,260 crore have been spent so far in developing local areas.This money will be spent on the affected people and areas, Tomar said while replying to a question during the Question Hour.”The changes in the MMDR Act are benefiting people. Their living condition is changing,” he said.To supplementaries regarding the steps Centre has taken to curb illegal mining, he said the law against it has been made more stringent as it now entails five-year jail term and Rs 5 lakh fine instead of a two-year term and Rs 25,000 fine earlier.States have also been asked to set up special courts to try cases of illegal mining, Tomar said.To a question from NK Premachandran (RSP) about lack of action against illegal miners in Kerala, the minister said it was for the states to act against them.Tomar also acknowledged that there was a crisis in the availability of sand and his cabinet colleague Nitin Gadkari, who is in charge of highway constructions, has also spoken about it.A committee under the mining secretary has been formed to ensure easier availability of sand, he said.The government has made it mandatory to auction mines of major minerals, he said, adding it has suggested to the states to go for auctions of minor mines too.Nine states have earned Rs 1.69 lakh crore by auctioning 33 of 88 blocks of mines, he said.

In an effort to end the logjam in Parliament, Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde on Thursday apologised in the Lok Sabha for his ‘change Constitution’ remark.The apology comes days after the Minister of State for Skill Development had said at an event in Karnataka that he respects the Constitution but “it will be changed in the days to come”.The remark sparked a political controversy with the Congress demanding Hegde’s resignation.’If anyone was hurt by my statements I tender an apology,’ Hegde said in the Lok Sabha after Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge objected to his clarification.Ahead of the Winter Session proceedings, Hegde also said that the ‘Constitution is supreme to me.’Talking to the reporters outside Parliament, Hegde said, “I deeply respect the Constitution, the Parliament & Baba Saheb Ambedkar. The Constitution is supreme for me, there can be no question on it, as a citizen I can never go against it.”Hegde, a five-time Lok Sabha member from Uttara Kannada, is no stranger to controversies. A case was registered against him for allegedly using derogatory language against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Kittur in Belagavi district.He had been slapped with cases for his “hate speeches”, including one where he allegedly equated Islam with terrorism.

After being out-of-business for several months, the Lakshmi Villas is headed for a comeback in hotel industry. A public property for now, the Lakshmi Villas will once again be lost in private hands in the process.”It has been decided that the Lakshmi Villas will be auctioned for being developed in hotel, a good hotel,” said Urban Development, minister Shrichand Kriplani after a meeting at the department on Wednesday.The one time motor garage of erstwhile rulers of Jaipur, the building located in heart of Central Park had stood as a heritage hotel for decades till few months back, when the Jaipur Development Authority took its possession following orders of Supreme Court. A royal stable adjoining Lakshmi Villas that in due time developed as Kanak Bhawan was also taken possession of by JDA.The six bighas of land under the hotel and another 1.5 bighas of land of adjoining Kanak Bhawan were considered to be assimilated in the Central Park and were not to be used for commercial purpose again. However, on Wednesday at a meeting the Urban Development Department decided to hand it over in private hands for being pushed in hotel industry again.It has also been decided that the Kanak Bhawan will be used a JDA guest house. Even as the Central Park and common public is to lose its claim over these, the department upheld their environmental relevance.”We acknowledge that these properties are also important for the city in respect to environment and we will ensure that the environment will be conserved at these,” said the minister.The development Authority has acquired possession of these after a long legal battle that lasted for almost 44 years. It was finally earlier this year that Supreme Court cleared all objections on JDA possession of the land.It was in 1973 that 322 bighas of land was acquired at the Rambagh Complex by the Urban Improvement Trust (UIT). The Lakshmi Villas spread over six bighas and Kanak Bhawan on another 1.5 bighas were also part of the acquired pocket. These at the time were in possession of erstwhile maharaj Bhawani Singh who sold it off in 1986.A LOOK BACKThe one-time motor garage of erstwhile rulers of Jaipur, the building located in heart of Central Park had stood as a heritage hotel for decades till a few months back, when the Jaipur Development Authority took its possession following orders of Supreme Court. A royal stable adjoining Lakshmi Villas that in due time developed as Kanak Bhawan was also taken possession of by JDA. The six bighas of land under the hotel and another 1.5 bighas of land of adjoining Kanak Bhawan were considered to be assimilated in the Central Park and were not to be used for commercial purpose again.

New and lesser known Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) situated in smaller towns have left behind the old, established ones in the race of campus placements this year.IIT Gandhinagar — a second generation IIT (established in 2008) — has topped the placement list with 88.31 per cent placements recorded in the academic year 2016-17, the final placement data across IITs has revealed.As per the data available with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, 3 new IITS —Ropar, Indore and Gandhinagar — feature in the top five IITs that recorded maximum placements this year. Of the older ones, IIT Delhi ranked at two and IIT (previously ISM) Dhanbad stood at four.In fact, IIT Mandi and IIT Patna also performed better than a number of established IITs like Bombay and Madras. According to the official data, IIT Mandi recorded 73.96 per cent placement this year and Patna recorded over 74 per cent placement, whereas Bombay and Madras recorded 73.39 and 70.39 per cent respectively.Increasing placements in newer IITs has become a trend over the last three years, in 2015-16, IIT Indore had recorded 100 per cent placement. Officials attribute this to the older, established IITs focusing more on filing patents and focusing on research rather than placements.”One of the main reasons that placement at new IITs is on a rise is because they are adding more seats at undergraduate levels and focusing only on placements, since they do not have enough infrastructure to focus on research and start-ups,” a placement official from IIT Delhi said.With the government pushing education institutes to get a place in international rankings, older institutes are busy filing patents, which is one of the important criteria for scoring in international ranks.”In the last three years, number of patents filed by IITs have increased from 494 in the year 2014, to 563 in the year 2016. Maximum contributors to this have been the older IITs. Madras filed the maximum number of patents at 325, followed by Bombay, Kharagpur and Kanpur,” said a senior official in HRD Ministry.”This is as per government’s plans of making the older IITs focus more on research and catapulting them in world rankings,” he added.There are 23 IITs in the country, including the older, established ones — Madras, Delhi, Kharagpur, Bombay, Kanpur, Roorkee and Varanasi, the second generation IITs including — IIT Ropar, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Patna, Indore and Mandi., that came up in the year 2008 and 2009.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) plans to reduce the conversion charges of commercial-cum-residential properties from Rs 89,000 to Rs 22,000. The move has come days after the civic body conducted a sealing drive and shut down 51 popular restaurants and shops in Defence Colony market for”illegal” construction and not paying the conversion charges.Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Mayor, SDMC, on Tuesday agreeing to the traders’demands said she will meet the Monitoring Committee in this regard on Wednesday.”We will be meeting the Committee to take the drive in a phased manner and give enough time to traders to deposit the charges. Also, we plan to reduce the conversion charges from 89,000 to 22,000 as per the proposal,” said Sehrawat.However, the civic body continued with its sealing drive on Tuesday even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that the move was rather to”fill its coffers”. The corporation also extended its drive to agricultural properties being used for commercial purposes while sealing a farmhouse in Chhattarpur.The farmhouse used to host social functions and events, and had an additional built-up area, said the civic officials. The sealing drive is being taken on the directions of the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee which, in a meeting with commissioners of the three municipal corporations and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Tuesday, directed the agencies to carry out the drives in all the areas under their jurisdiction.The AAP, however, alleged that the Monitoring Committee was acting as a”tax collector” for the BJP-led corporations in the city.”We have asked all the civic agencies to carry out the drive in areas under their jurisdiction,” said Bhure Lal, former bureaucrat and member of the committee.Meanwhile, the trader’s body of the Defence Colony market, along with AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj and local councillors, met the south corporation commissioner demanding the withdrawal of the sealing drive. They also asked for some time to pay off the conversion charges.”We were assured that the drive will be halted immediately while we have got three months time to pay the pending conversion charges. We have also urged them to reduce or waive off the conversion charges from Rs 89,000 to Rs 22,000 for which a proposal is pending with the Central government’s urban development ministry,” said RK Bhatia, member of the traders association.

After putting the expansion plans of the Eastern Freeway in south Mumbai on hold, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has said that the extension of the freeway from Orange Gate in Mazgaon up to General Post Office (GPO) near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) is back on track and assured that the plan has not been discarded.The MMRDA has said that there were some issues related to procuring plots of land for the extension of the freeway further south considering the Railways have plans of building an elevated rail corridor between CSMT and Panvel.The MMRDA has decided that once the land is acquired for the CST-Panvel corridor and all modes of public transport are exhausted, they will turn to land acquisition for the freeway’s expansion as planned.UPS Madan, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA said, “We have not discarded the plans for expansion of the freeway up to CSMT. We will ultimately go for the expansion on both ends. As of now, on the northern end there are some issues related to slums and environmental issues but the expansion will be done on both the northern and eastern ends.”The Eastern Freeway is a major connector of the eastern suburbs and south Mumbai. Currently, the Eastern Freeway runs from Orange Gate on P D’Mello Road in the south up to the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road in the north.The Eastern Freeway was originally planned from the Prince of Wales Museum in Fort but the plan was dropped to due to the lack of space and was then built starting from the Orange Gate.FREEWAY FACTSThe Eastern Freeway runs from Orange Gate on P D’Mello Road in the south up to the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road in the north. MMRDA said there were some issues related to procuring land that led to delays.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today launched six more e-services, thus bringing as many as 100 citizen-centric services pertaining to 12 departments of the state on a single platform.The e-services were launched on the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which was celebrated by the Haryana government as ‘Good Governance Day’.”The state government has initiated e-Initiative to end corruption. This will not only save time and money, but will also provide instant services,” Khattar said during the launch of e-services here.The web-based platform will play host to 380 services pertaining to 30 departments of the state government by April 14 next year.Besides, 2,500 tablets have been provided to Patwaris (land revenue officials) across the state to enable them to digitally verify certificates, and launch Swachhata Map Application for 35 cities. It would be initiated in 80 cities of the state by January 26, 2018.The Chief Minister dedicated SARAL Portal under e- governance to the people of the state.SARAL (Simple, All inclusive, Real Time, Action Oriented, Long lasting) is a service delivery platform where citizens can track and avail themselves of more than 100 services on a single platform.Earlier, Khattar had launched the ‘CM e-Dashboard’ to monitor key parameters of various departments and ensure effective delivery of services.”With 2,500 Patwaris getting tablets, this is for the first time in the state that ground level work would be done electronically,” Khattar said.The chief minister said Swachhata Map App would be linked with Swachhata App of the Central government with additional services.Khattar directed the officers to initiate the process of linking villages with the app to facilitate them to provide information about cleanliness in their area.He also launched Deputy Commissioners (DCs) e-Dashboard (Darpan), which, he said, would not only offer analytical view of the ongoing schemes throughout the country but also provide unique survey of the national level schemes.For hotel industry, a digital register has been launched for the first time for visitors in the state. Under this, real-time data of visitors would be shared with the police and manual verification would no longer be required, an official release said.The Chief Minister also launched NOC application of the forest department which has been developed with the help of ISRO and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).The app has been integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) which would grant automatic approval for Forest NOC and clarification to business entities or companies based on forest boundaries.”We are launching a pilot in Hisar and Bhiwani to give auto approval to any area which is more than 1.5 km away from forest area,” Khattar said.A Mobile Video Conference Platform was also launched which would enable the chief minister or any other official to get connected with 30 officers through video-conference, anywhere, anytime.Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain was also present at the launch ceremony.

Months ahead of assembly polls in left-dominated Tripura, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Manik Sarkar government of presiding over a massive scam in the MGNREGA Scheme running into “hundreds of crores” even as a complaint has been lodged with the Rural Development Ministry at the Centre with “all the proof”.The complainant has also threatened to sue the Central Ministry and the secretary “if ministry fails to investigate and punish the culprits”.However, the BJP refused to reveal the name of the complainant for security reasons, but DNA has accessed the complaint. The name, the party said, would be divulged once the time was “ripe”.As per the complaint lodged with the Rural Development Ministry, the scam allegedly was the doing of the state government in collusion with the local administration, BDOs and DCs. BJP alleged that the local officials had to tow the line of the state government for the fear of their lives.”In Tripura, the detailed ‘Social Audit Report’ made by government-appointed ‘Block Resource Persons’ has found that there is rampant corruption in implementation of MG-NREGA schemes. On all major indices, the implementation had flaws,” the complaint said.Citing a survey by Block Resource Persons in Tripura, the complainant has also alleged that “no job cards were issued; no Gram-Sabha resolutions were passed and register not maintained; work provided without demands, only on the basis of verbal political orders; in many cases work has been completed but payment not made; in many cases payment is still not made to suppliers of material; no signboards were displayed at the sites of work with details of work and project; in almost all cases payment was made without technical assistant approval.””With this complaint, I am requesting you to start a high level inquiry of the MG-NREGA in Tripura on the basis of the findings of ‘Social Audit report’ made by ‘Block Resource Persons’ because there is embezzlement of hundreds of crore rupees in the entire state of Tripura and the guilty must be punished to recover misused funds,” the complaint said.”The scam has been going on in the state from 1996 violating the general financial rules of the Government of India. Since they have such iron grip on local administrations no one can question them. We had complained to the EC in 2013 elections. EC had probed the matter and found merit in our complaint. They forwarded the report to the Centre, but the Congress did nothing. It also refused a CBI inquiry. In such an instance in Odisha, SC had observed that pertaining to MNREGA, the Centre can conduct an independent investigation without permission from the State. Then we went to high court. The court has found there were serious irregularities and corruption in MNREGA. HC told the state to conduct an audit. Now the government is dillydallying with the findings of the audit,” Ashok Sinha, Tripura BJP’s spokesperson told DNA.

The real tribute to Guru Gobind Singh would be to follow his path of harmony, religious tolerance, peace and brotherhood, former prime minister Manmohan Singh said today.Speaking on the concluding day of Guru Gobind Singh’s 350th birth anniversary commemoration celebrations here, the senior Congress leader noted that the tenth Sikh Guru never discriminated against any religion, but respected all human beings, regardless of colour, caste and creed.The real tribute to Guru Gobind Singh would be to follow his path and bring an end to gender discrimination, he said.”As true Sikhs, we should not discriminate between men and women, and should provide equal opportunities of education to both genders, thus enabling them to become ideal citizens of the society,” Manmohan said.The former PM, accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, was addressing a gathering opposite the Keshgarh Sahib Gurdwara.Manmohan said the Sikh community was never in conflict with Islam and asserted that Guru Gobind Singh and other Sikh Gurus fought against social injustice by Mughal rulers and stood for human rights regardless of race, caste, religion or gender.The economist also sought people’s cooperation to stamp out the menace of drugs from the society.Also speaking at the event, Amarinder Singh announced the revival of Anandpur Sahib Urban Development Authority, along with his government’s decision to set up Skills University at Chamkaur Sahib in the name of Guru Gobind Singh.He said he would also request the Centre to declare Guru Gobind Singh Marg in Punjab and the rest of the country as a national highway.Underlining the Punjab government’s commitment to the upliftment of this holy place, the chief minister said the revival of Sri Anandpur Sahib Urban Development Authority would pave way for upgradation of its basic infrastructure and amenities.Former Union minister Preneet Kaur, AICC leaders Asha Kumari, Harish Chaudhary and Ambika Soni, state Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, PPCC president Sunil Jakhar, Speaker Punjab Vidhan Sabha and MLA Sri Anandpur Sahib Rana K P Singh, among others, were also present on the occasion.

While the state government’s ambitious Samruddhi Mahamarg, the Mumbai- Nagpur super communication highway is facing stern protest from farmers, this information about the highway under RTI may spark new controversy. According to the information, the 710 kilometre proposed highway will have as many as 31 toll plazas which toll activists are already opposing.The Samruddhi Mahamarg (prosperity highway) will run through ten districts and connect Mumbai and Nagpur. It is also considered as a dream project of the state government as once it is completed, the highway will connect backward regions of Marathwada and Vidarbha with growing regions of Mumbai and Thane. However, since the most part of the land which is to be acquired for the highway is agricultural land, the farmers community has been staging protests against the proposed highway and state government is trying its best to pacify the protest.Also readMumbai-Nagpur E-way: Trust deficit hits land acquisitionNow amidst the protests and government’s countering strategy, Pune based toll activist Sanjay Shirodkar had filed RTI with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) seeking details of projected toll plazas situated on the proposed Samruddhi Mahamarg. In the reply to his RTI, he has got the information that the proposed highway will have 31 toll plazas. Speaking to DNA, Shirodkar said, “While feasibility study and other such reports related to the proposed highway are yet to be completed, the state government has already finalised the locations of toll plaza on the highway which is still at the primary stage.”Also readNo runway on Mumbai-Nagpur E-wayAfter finding out that the highway will have 31 toll plazas, Shirodkar claimed that finalising 31 toll plazas on 710 kilometre highway is a clear violation of the state government’s toll policy. “In 2009, the state government came up with toll policy. According to the policy, the distance between two toll plazas on the same highway should not be less than 35 to 40 kilometre. However, if we calculate the number of toll plazas against the total length of the highway, the distance between two toll plazas on Samruddhi Mahamarg will be around 22 kilometres only. It clearly suggests that the state government is violating its own toll policy,” Shirodkar said. Shirodkar who has been fighting against the toll collection at various highways has filed some public interest litigation in the court, particularly in connection with toll collection of Mumbai- Pune expressway. Shirodkar stated that the present government in the state came to power by promising that they will be ending the toll culture in the state, however, now instead of shutting down toll plazas, they are opening new ones. “This information of RTI clearly shows that the government before coming to power had given false promises of shutting toll plazas. They are not bothered about the common people. They are more concerned about toll collection and therefore the first thing which they have done is to finalise 31 toll plazas on the proposed Samruddhi Mahamarg,” Shirodkar said.

After the avalanche of harassment cases in India and abroad have spawned a social campaign under the hashtag #MeToo, India is now all set to start relaunch a campaign against cyberbullying under the hashtag #HelpMeWCD.Earlier, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi had launched #HelpMeWCD to urge women and children to tweet along with the hashtag if they face any harassment or violence.The Ministry of Women and Child Development on Thursday launched a separate helpline to file complaint against abusive behaviour, harassment and hateful content on social media. The recent decision was taken in light of the high number of cyber bullying cases in India.Everyday on the Internet, people are abused regardless of their caste, creed and opinion. Huge number of cases goes unnoticed and people sometimes fail to understand the seriousness of the issue. Trolling and cyberbullying can be called as the side effects of the Internet. Determined bullies does not leave any stones unturned to prey on any given opportunity. The intensity of online abuse can be as violent and scary as in the physical existence. The chatrooms and social media pages are filled with comments and posts aimed at character assassination and defamation.Cyberbullying can cause us grave mental distress and pollute our thoughts and everyday work schedule. It can trigger negative emotions and sometimes can even lead to depression and suicide.In a shocking incident in November, an MBBS student in Kerala committed suicide by jumping off from the top floor of her college building. Police suspect it is a case of online harassment after examining her Facebook post showing discontent over the comments made by a fellow MBBS student in her earlier posts.A day before committing suicide, Ooshmal Ullas, the 23-year old student in KMCT College, shared a screenshot of the angry comments posted in the college confession page named ‘KMCT Xposed – MBBS Confessions her FB post’ in her FB post.In February this year, Gurmehar Kaur, a 20-year-old student from Delhi University’s Lady Shri Ram, may have never imagined that she would be threatened to be raped and killed for even daring to raise her voice or share an opinion.Unknown persons trolled Gurmehar on social media sites and send her ruthless death and rape threats for launching a campaign against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP ). The college student had to deactivate her Facebook account in the midst of the brutal threats and the poor girl had to rush to police station to file complaints against the online harassment.In another incident, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone was slammed in social media for sharing a ‘not-so traditional’ photo on Instagram. The hot MAXIM photoshoot of the xXx: The Return of Xander Cage’ starwas not handled well by some disgruntled geniuses. She was trolled and abused for breaking ‘Indian traditions’.With everyone having easy access to internet and technology, cyber bullying and cyber stalking is a serious concern. Eight out of 10 are subjected to online harassment in India, a research conducted by global cyber security firm Norton by Symantec revealed on October this year.The survey said that around 63% of online harassment cases are of abuses and insults and 59% are of rumours and gossips aimed at degrading someone’s image. Another survey by Feminism in India found that around 50 per cent of women living in major Indian cities have been a victim of online abuse.In another survey conducted across 25 countries by Microsoft Corporation in 2012, India was ranked third.Cyberbullying is dealt by the enforcement agencies under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Commission (BMC) has decided to allot an additional 2% Floor Space Index (FSI) against the total area of a plot or 200 sqmt, whichever is less, to allow for a fitness area for residents. “There are crunch of the open spaces in Mumbai,” said Sanjay Darade, chief engineer of BMC’s Development Planning (DP) department. “People need to exercise, therefore the BMC and the government has decided to allot the additional FSI.” Darade added that existing housing societies can also approach BMC to develop a fitness centre. “People want to live an integrated life with amenities and services within their ambit,” he said. “In a new complex, most amenities are already provided. However, a fitness centre has to be part of it; therefore, we are giving space, free of premium.”As per the BMC circular, a copy of which is with DNA), an NOC from the society is not necessary while approving a fitness centre. “In the plan, a designated area will be marked as the fitness centre and it will also be incorporated into the sale agreement.So while buying an apartment, people can insist that the developer build the fitness zone in their society. This will be mandatory,” said senior civic official.Senior architect Milind Samel welcomed the decision. “Architects always struggle to allot such space as the developer always hesitates to part with even an extra inch for non-profitable things, such as a fitness centre,” Samel said.”They want to exploit the maximum amount of space commercially. Additional FSI and designating the spot in the plan will compel the developer to develop these centres voluntarily.”Nayan Shah, CEO and MD of Mayfair Group, was also for the decisions. “Now, we can also show the fitness centre even to RERA. We will also provide the equipment,” Shah said.The move is an extension of Shiv Sena youth leader’s Aditya Thackeray’s pet project – promoting fitness across the city and in every housing complex. Thackeray junior had inaugurated an open gym at Marine Drive, but it ran into controversy given the area’s heritage precinct tag. BMC was then forced to remove it.FSI for FitnessThe additional floor space index will be provided against the total area of the plot or 200 sqmt, whichever is less. Developers are to mark this in the planning stage itself.

Voters across Gujarat have been misled by the BJP’s tall caims, yet they continue to support the party, disregarding harsh realities, says Shashikant Patel, the Congress candidate from Ghatlodia constituency, who lost by a margin of 1,17,750 votes to his BJP rival Bhupendra Patel. He said that Ahmedabad has been allocated tens of thousands of rupees but the corresponding development is not visible.Patel, popularly known as Bhurabhai, is a realtor, while his BJP rival is a former chairman of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority and a confidante of former Chief Minister Anandiben Patel. “I must have walked close to 250 km to meet people one on one. But we failed to convince voters,” he said.

Ministry of Human Resource Development has decided to teach students about the struggle against British rule that happened before the 1857 revolt— the Paika Rebellion, which occurred in 1817 in Odisha.A chapter on Paika Rebellion will be added in Class 8 books of National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Minister of State for HRD, Satyapal Singh shared this information in the Parliament in a written reply, calling it the beginning of rebellion against British rule.”Keeping in mind that Paika Rebellion was the beginning of a rebellion against the British, it has been decided that a chapter on it will be added in Class 8 History textbooks. It will be added in form of a case study which is related to the 1857 revolt,” Singh said in a written reply.”It was one of the first struggles off independence against the British rule, which started in 1817 and ended in 1825. It brought all communities together to fight against the British rule. However, later the 1857 revolt saw a much larger struggle. From the historical point of view, one can say that Pain Rebellion set examples which were later followed,” he added. The Paika Rebellion, also called the Paika Bidroha, was an armed rebellion against the British in 1817. The Paikas, which were the traditional landed militia of Odisha rose in rebellion and spread across the entire state.Changes in History books of NCERT has been a subject of discussion ever since the NDA government came to power in the year 2014. Bharatiya Janata Party’s ideological concern RSS has been giving a number of suggestions to the government to be included or removed from the syllabus. However government has always maintained that the syllabus will only be updated as per the rules, following advice of education experts. Recently, government took an overall review of NCERT textbooks, correcting errors if any and updating the syllabus.

Former ace batsman and member of Rajya Sabha, Sachin Tendulkar sought speedier development in his adopted village of Donja in Osmanabad district during a visit to monitor development work.With a population of 2,800 people, Donja was adopted under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) and as per the scheme, Tendulkar gave Rs 4 crore from his MPLAD (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) funds for infrastructure development. The first village he adopted under the scheme was Puttumraju Kandriga in Andhra Pradesh. Donja was to have access to potable water through pipelines that would fetch it from water tanks.Besides that, a new school building, sewage system and concrete roads were part of the plan. InDiya Foundation, an organization associated with Tendulkar, has also undertaken a project to provide solar energy-based lighting solutions to the school, besides other public amenities. Donja was declared an ODF (Open Defecation Free) village in November 2016 after Tendulkar adopted it.After meeting the area’s collector, Tendulkar addressed the crowd, saying, “I am overwhelmed by your enthusiasm and spirit, and hope that all of us can work together towards development of the village. The initial challenges in implementing development work have been successfully overcome and I am sure that execution of work will pick up speed. We want to showcase Donja’s development as a casestudy for other villages across the country.” He also played cricket with some children from the local school.

Lok Sabha passed the Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2017 on Tuesday that will assist in raising Rs 2,300 crore for developing and maintaining inland waterways through cess on high speed petrol and diesel.“The Bill seeks to amend the Central Road Fund Act, 2000, through which the cess levied and collected on high speed petrol and diesel is distributed for development of rural roads, national highways, railways, state roads and border area roads. The present bill seeks to allocate 2.5% of the CRF generated to accelerate the development and maintenance of national waterways by reduction of an equal percentage from the share of national highways. This would tentatively generate about Rs. 2,300 crore revenue for national waterways,” read a government release.Through this levy, the development of national waterways is expected to get accelerated and also offer incentives and certainty for private sector to invest in inland waterways transport sector.The idea is to have a national waterways to provide cost effective, logistically efficient and environment friendly mode of transport, whose development as a supplementary mode would enable diversion of traffic from the over-congested roads and railways.At this moment, there are 111 National Waterways in India. “In order to suitably develop national waterways, sustainable source of funding is highly necessary as budgetary support and funds from multilateral institutions are inadequate,” said the statement.One of the sustainable sources of funding for the development of waterways is to earmark certain per cent. of cess levied and collected on high speed diesel and petrol under the Central Road Fund Act, 2000.

During the BJP’s rule in Gujarat, its seats have been shrinking, but the tally never went below 100. The party will form government in Gujarat for the sixth consecutive term, but it showed no exuberance after the results were declared. Perhaps, these are the most shocking results for the BJP, in the home state of PM Narendra Modi and the party’s national president Amit Shah.Those who have seen the Modi era in Gujarat till 2014 would remember the scene at the party headquarter where winning candidates would be pouring in, and workers would be seen beating drums, doing Garba, chanting slogans for Modi, bursting crackers, continuously. The entire atmosphere would be coloured with saffron and ‘gulaal’.Visitors of Shri Kamalam, the BJP headquarters near Gandhinagar, were surprised to see the deserted look there. A couple of leaders were present, locked in their offices. A few workers from Gandhinagar reached there just to mark their presence and CM Vijay Rupani came to address a press conference. By 6 pm, Shri Kamalam was almost empty.During the press conference, Rupani said, “We accept the verdict of Gujarat and will try to live up to people’s expectations in the coming five years as people of the state have given us an opportunity to serve them. This is historic in India that a single party won for the sixth consecutive term. This shows people’s faith in Narendra Modi and development. The credit goes to our leader Amit Shah too for his guidance.” In fact, this is the time for the BJP to start reflecting on the reasons of the party’s performance in Gujarat. PM Narendra Modi addressed as many as 34 rallies travelling 10,000 km in Gujarat and held six major roadshows.Moreover, a range of leaders starting from Amit Shah, Union Ministers like Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and others were deployed to woo voters but the charishma of BJP leaders did not shine much this time as compared with past polls.Surprisingly, the PM and the entire cadre of the BJP diligently tried to play victim on the issues of Mani Shankar Aiyar calling Modi ‘neech’ and tossed issues connecting Congress leaders with Pakistan, but failed to earn sympathy from voters in desired numbers. Development was the core agenda of the BJP for the campaign but that became subsidiary and temple visits by Rahul Gandhi, Ram Mandir and Nehru-Gandhi family’s treatment to Gujarati leaders were reverberating in the skies of Gujarat during BJP leaders’ poll rallies in the state.BJP under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and national president Amit Shah, the BJP aimed for more than 150 seats in Gujarat and could not cross 100 too. Sixth consecutive termVisitors of the BJP headquarters near Gandhinagar, were surprised to see the deserted look. A few workers from Gandhinagar reached there just to mark their presence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused the Congress of trying to sow the seeds of casteism in Gujarat in its “hunger for power”, asserting that the BJP’s win in the Assembly elections had underlined the people’s acceptance of his government’s reforms.Addressing BJP workers at the party headquarters here, he was unsparing in his attack on the Congress and critics who, he said, could not accept his party’s victory in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.He also returned to his plank of development and pitched for social harmony in his home state, which had seen several caste agitations in the run up to the Assembly polls, saying that the people should forget the past and embrace each other.Also readAssembly Elections 2017: Gujarat, HP results lesson to parties indulging in caste-politics and dynasty, says Amit ShahAn atmosphere for development had been created after the BJP took power at the Centre in May 2014, he said, adding that nobody should derail it as his “decisive” government was working overtime to strengthen cooperative federalism and had clean intentions.With the BJP — which recorded its sixth straight victory in Assembly elections in Gujarat — drawing its lowest tally this year, Modi said the victory this time was not ‘samanya’ (normal) but ‘asamanya’ (especial).Also readFrom PM Narendra Modi to Jignesh Mevani: Who said what after BJP’s narrow Gujarat winModi, who was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 before he became the prime minister in May, 2014, said attempts were made to “demoralise” the state BJP leadership after he moved to the Centre.Referring to the just-concluded Gujarat poll, he said the state government was attacked from all sides and there was a “storm of disinformation”.Also readStop trying to derail India from path of development: PM Modi’s top quotes after saffron sweep “The Congress might be visible on the ground but there were many forces at work beside it. ‘Bring down the BJP once’. All sorts of conspiracies were hatched,” Modi said.There could be anger over the issue of development but some were making fun of it, he said, apparently targeting the Congress and Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who had run a campaign with the meme “development has gone mad” to attack the BJP.The state was rife with the “poison of casteism” until 30 years ago, he said, referring to Congress rule in Gujarat, and added that BJP governments and leaders worked to remove it.”In their hunger for power, some people tried to sow the seeds of casteim in the last few months for the elections. The people rejected it,” he said.He asked the people of his state to be more vigilant.Referring to his party’s win in Uttar Pradesh and the Maharashtra local polls, followed by the victories in the two Assembly polls, Modi said the results proved that the people were ready for reforms and embraced performance for the transformation of the country.Development is the only solution to people’s problems, he said, asserting that India would have to scale new heights of development if it was to do well globally.The BJP’s win in Himachal was also a vote for development and rejection of those who used power for the “wrong” things, he said.He ended his address with a rousing slogan. “Jitega bhai, jitega…(who will be victorious),” he asked the workers. “Vikas (development),” they replied in unison, as exhorted by Modi.

The National Green Tribunal on Monday directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to submit a complete action plan with regard to the drains in the second phase of the Yamuna cleaning project and ensure that no effluent or waste enters the river.A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the DJB to submit the plan with regard to the six drains to the principal committee, formed by NGT, within two weeks.The green panel directed the principal committee to hold a meeting to examine the action plan and submit a final plan to the tribunal within two months from Monday.The six drains are — Kalkaji, Tehkhand, Maharani Bagh, Qudsia Bagh and Mori gate, Barapulla and Shahdara drain.The meeting scheduled to be held on January 8, 2018 would be attended by senior officials of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, Delhi government, DJB and Delhi Development Authority.It also directed the principal committee, headed by secretary of Ministry of Water Resources, to submit a time- bound plan for laying of sewer networks and installation of sewage treatment plants in the national capital.The matter will now be heard on February 12.The tribunal had earlier noted that work on the Phase-I of the cleaning, christened as ‘Maily Se Nirmal Yamuna’ Revitalisation Project, was already in progress and it would now monitor the work of the next stage.The Phase-I of the clean Yamuna project aims to lower the pollution levels in the Najafgarh and Delhi Gate drains, while Phase-II deals with Shahdara, Barapullah and other drains.The directions came while monitoring the implementation of its ‘Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project’.

In case a homebuyer fails to register their agreement with a developer within the stipulated time, the developer can cancel the booking. Not only this, the homebuyer will no longer remain an allottee in the developer’s project and will not be eligible for a refund. In a case that came before the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA), it held the view of the developer, wherein despite repeated requests, the homebuyer failed to register the agreement and hence the booking was cancelled. The homebuyer then approached the authority seeking a refund from the developer.The complainant, Sanjay Sawant, had booked an apartment in Landmark Real Estate Developers Limited’s Karjat project, Casa Unico, on June 10, 2016 and paid a partial booking amount. However, there was no registered agreement of sale between the complainant and the respondent. Sawant approached MahaRERA and asked that the developer be directed to refund the booking amount.During the hearing, the developer stated that as per the booking terms and conditions which Sawant had agreed to, Sawant had to sign and register the agreement of sale within 30 days from the day of booking. Despite repeated requests, the complainant failed to do so. His booking was therefore cancelled and the booking amount forfeited.Gautam Chaterjee, Chairperson, MahaRERA, held, “Based on the facts mentioned, the complainant is no longer an allottee and his booking has already been cancelled for breach of the agreed terms and conditions of booking.”Chaterjee in his order further stated that the complainant, Sawant, had failed to show if any provisions of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 or the rules or regulations made there under had been contravened, thus dismissed the complaint.

Noida and Greater Noida do not have their own municipal corporations. This is despite the fact that the Industrial Development Act of 1976 mandated that every city must have a municipal corporation of its own.What’s even more surprising is that the two cities, located in Gautam Budh Nagar district, may still not get their own municipal corporations, as stakeholders, at a meeting convened by the Noida Authority on Saturday, concluded that the two cities did not need them.The stakeholders comprised members of the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations (FONRWA), Confederation of NCR Residents Welfare Associations (CONRWA), Noida Entrepreneurs Association (NEA), Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI) and various MLAs. Most of them felt that Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Authority authorities were working well enough to maintain the city.According to Meerut Commissioner Prabhat Kumar, most of the suggestions declined the need for a municipal corporation for GB Nagar. Instead, he said, people wanted civic bylaws to be put in place to fix the accountability of residents and the Authority towards the city.“The majority of stakeholders in GB Nagar do not want a separate municipal body,” Kumar said The Meerut Commissioner had been appointed to look into this matter when on September 4 this year, the GB Nagar district magistrate BN Singh recommended that the municipal functions be withdrawn from the purview of Noida Authority and handed over to the Uttar Pradesh government. In October, a public notice was issued, inviting all stakeholders to submit their views on the matter. Thereafter, a government committee including BN Singh, GB Nagar district magistrate; RK Mishra, additional CEO of Noida Authority; BK Tripathi, additional CEO of Greater Noida, VP Pathak, chief law adviser of Noida Authority and CP Singh, municipal commissioner of Ghaziabad, was set up under the leadership of Prabhat Kumar, commissioner of Meerut. Kumar is now the in-charge on this matterOn other issues raised in the meeting, Kumar said they also received suggestions on parking issues and the need for a railway station in GB Nagar and an IIT college in Yamuna Expressway.No corp in noidaThe Industrial Development Act of 1976 mandated that every city must have a municipal corporation of its own.At a meeting convened by the Noida Authority, stakeholders concluded that Noida and Greater Noida did not need one.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mizoram on Saturday, the first time since assuming power as prime minister in 2014. The purpose of the visit was to complete the 60 Mega-Watt Tuirial Hydropower Project.”It is the first large hydropower project in Mizoram. It will boost the socio-economic development of the State,” the PM said at a gathering.Hailing the first NDA government for its work in the northeast, PM Modi added, “During the tenure of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee significant work was done for the development of the Northeast. We have taken forward this vision and are devoting resources for the progress of the Northeast. There have been over 150 Ministerial visits. Our initiative – the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) at your doorstep has added impetus to the development of the Northeast. It has enabled us to understand the aspirations of the Northeast even better,” the PM added.Adding that the project would provide eco-tourism and proper drinking water to the people of the state, PM Modi added that the vision of New India can be realized only if fruits of development reach all. Government plans to focus on around 115 districts which are relatively backward when evaluated on various indicators. This will benefit backward districts of North Eastern States including Mizoram. “Besides electricity the reservoir water will also open new avenues for navigation. This will provide connectivity to remote villages. The huge reservoir, spread over an area of 45 square kilometres can also be used for development of fisheries,” he said.”It is said that the lack of connectivity is one of the biggest hurdles in the path of development of the North Eastern Region. My Government wants to do ‘Transformation by Transportation’ through investment in infrastructure to change the face of the North Eastern Region,” he added.Also readCentre considering over 60 proposals for Northeast-based start-upsThe prime minister also spoke on his other plans to develop the northeast region. “We are committed to bring all the State Capitals of North East Region on the Rail map. The Government of India is executing 15 New Rail Line projects of 1385 kilometers length, at a cost of over Rs.47,000 crore,” PM Modi said, adding the Union Government has been proactively following the ‘Act East Policy’. “As a gate-way to South East Asia, Mizoram stands to gain immensely from this. It can emerge as a key transit point for trade with Myanmar and Bangladesh,” he said.PM Modi also spoke of the bamboo trade that have plagued some farmers. The Bamboo which is the livelihood for lakhs of people of North East, has been under a very restrictive regulatory regime. Because of this, you cannot transport or sell the Bamboo produced in your own field without the permit. Our Government with an aim to reduce this pain, has changed the regulatory regime and now there will be no requirement of any permit or permission for producing, transporting and selling Bamboo and its products produced by farmers in their own fields,” the PM said.

The family of a central government official, whose body was found on railway tracks in Delhi three days after he went missing, on Friday alleged that he was killed and his body was dumped there. Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry Indian Civil Accounts Service officer Jeetendra Kumar Jha’s body was found on rail tracks on Monday in Palam.The police, however, said that it was a case of suicide since a purported note was also found in which he said no one was responsible for his death. Jha’s family was initially not able to identify his body yesterday. But after police showed a wallet and clothes, they identified the body.RN Mishra, Jha’s brother-in-law, said the body was mutilated beyond recognition and that is why they could not identify it. “Three-four months ago, he had said that he won’t live for long. He was scared for his life,” Mishra told news agency PTI, alleging foul play in Jha’s death.Mishra said that Jha was scared and was not even going to work and had been on leave. “He had even stopped visiting our house late in the night. If we had to meet him, we would have to visit his home,” Mishra said. Jha had even started leaving his cell phone at home so that his location could not be tracked, he said. “Even on the day he went missing, he had left his phone at home,” said Mishra.Jha, a 1998-batch officer, has worked in the training section of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. He was not going to the office and was on medical leave from September 28, the police had said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked all land-owning agencies in the capital to not demolish jhuggies and instead take a humanitarian approach till winter is here.The AAP chief told agencies to stop any demolition activity going around in the city even in future without organising ways to relocate or rehabilitate people.”Please do not demolish jhuggis till winters are over, say around February 28, next year. It’s very cold and take a humanitarian approach. Besides, no demolition should take place immediately without following the framework of the demolition policy,” said the CM in a statement issued by the Delhi government.However, the statement comes at a time when a number of homeless could be spotted sleeping on pavements in the open in the absence of enough night shelters in the city.The CM has also asked the land owning agencies to follow the protocol set for demolition in letter and spirit.”No demolition should be done in future also without proper rehabilitation or relocation of the slum dwellers. DUSIB will lay down the norms for demolition according to the notified Slum Policy and it will be applicable across the city and for all agencies,” Kejriwal said in the statement.The decision was taken in a meeting over slum policy on Friday, with the concerned departments including Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), Urban Development, Delhi Development Authority, and the three municipal corporations.The slum policy notified recently lays down guidelines for demolition and has made DUSIB the nodal agency for relocation/rehabilitation of the jhuggi-bastis.HomelessThe statement comes at a time when a number of homeless can be spotted sleeping on pavements in the open in the absence of enough night shelters in the city.

At least three labourers were killed and one trapped after Chhipi Chawl in Zaveri Bazaar collapsed on Friday morning. The labourers were carrying out repair work on the fourth floor of the five-storeyed building. The dilapidated building, which is more than 60 years old, was already vacated for the said repair work. Relatives of the deceased say the repairing contractor didn’t provide them with any safety gear that could have saved their lives.Chhipi Chawl was declared dangerous last year by Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). The building is located on Shamseth Street and has a total 41 tenants, out of which 37 are commercial and four residential.MHADA had issued warning notices to tenants in September and urged them to vacate the premises for carrying out repair work. Sumant Bhange, chief officer, Repair board ( MHADA) said, “Work order was issued under the MLC fund in October 2016. However, owing to non co-operation from tenants, repairs couldn’t begin on time.”Fire Brigade started the rescue operation around 12.30 pm and recovered three bodies till 9 pm. They were identified as Firoz Khan (23), Safai Shaikh (22), and Rocky Shaikh (22). All came from Malharpur in West Bengal.

Taking a cue from the private sector wherein performing employees are rewarded, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) too has offered incentives to implement ‘Bharatmala’ project to stick to the given timeline.“In order to expedite implementation of the Bharatmala Pariyojna, the project launched by the Government of India with prime focus on optimising efficiency of the movement of goods and people across the country, NHAI has decided to start an incentive scheme for its officials,” read NHAI’s statement released on Friday.As per the plans, the incentive scheme will not only help in achieving the project as per the schedule but may also help in completing project implementation before the deadline.There would be cash rewards apart from certificate of appreciation and trophies.In October the Union Cabinet had approved Road Building Program over the next five years wherein a capital expenditure of Rs 6.92 lakh crore will be incurred for 83,677 kms of road. This Road Building Program includes India’s biggest highway development project – Bharatmala.Under the Bharatmala Project, Rs 5.35 lakh crore will be spent to have 34,800 kms of roads. There would be Economic Corridors (9,000-kms), Inter Corridor and Feeder Route (6,000-kms), National Corridors Efficiency Improvement (5,000-kms), Border Roads and International Connectivity (2,000-kms), Coastal Roads and Port Connectivity (2,000-kms), Greenfield Expressways (800-kms), Balance National Highways Development Project works (10,000-kms), etc.In the first phase of Bharatmala Project, 2,000-kms of Coastal Roads and Port Connectivity will be constructed starting 2018.

At least four persons are believed to be trapped inside the debris of a building that collapsed during repair work in Zaveri Bazar area in South Mumbai on Friday morning. According to official from the Mumbai fire Brigade, roof of a decade-old cessed building at Zaveri Bazaar collapsed Eyewitnesses claimed that nearly four persons are said to be trapped in the building. The incident took place at 11.00 am. Repair work on the four-storey building on Shamset Street at Chipi Chawl was underway when the incident took place. The building falls under Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority’s Mumbai Repair and Reconstruction Board.Initially, around 11 people were trapped out of which seven were rescued. Four of the workers who were carrying out the repair work are believed to be trapped. The fire brigade reached the spot and rescue operation is underway.

The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has decided to form 15 conciliation teams, where the home buyer and the builder amicably settle the matter.Each team will be comprising of two members, one from the developers’ body and one from consumer forums representing home buyers.10 conciliation teams will be located in Mumbai Thane and Navi Mumbai, (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) and the remaining five will be for Pune.The benefit of these conciliation teams will be that if the developer or the home buyer wants they can amicably settle the matter even before reaching the authority.“We are in the process of setting up an Alternate Dispute Resolution mechanism through these conciliation committees. We are optimistic that we will be able to start operations of these from January 1,” said Shirish Deshpande, president of Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP).For now, the aim is setting up conciliation teams for Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Pune as most of the complaints received from homebuyers are for projects from these markets. If this is successful then the authority may go to other areas like Nagpur, Nashik and others.”This is being done in the backdrop of MahaRERA receiving a lot of complaints and wants to set up a filter. This body can be approached by homebuyer and builder for reaching a consensus, thereby leaving only matters that cannot be resolved for MahaRERA’s intervention,” said Deshpande.Members of Realty developers’ associations including pan-India bodies such as National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) and the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) apart from state level body the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI) will be part of these benches.To represent home buyers, the bench will have members from Mumbai Grahak Pnachayat.Under this mechanism, home buyers’ complaints against the builders can be resolved through a consensus. If the consensus is not reached, the home buyer will have an option available to lodge a formal complaint against the builder in MahaRERA.The authority has been swift in its hearings of the home buyer complaints and has been delivering verdicts at the earliest.The authority has now decided to set up these benches to ensure that numbers of complaints reaching them are fewer after taking care of such cases that can be resolved through consensus.

Hamid Karzai, Former President of Afghanistan along with Pranab Mukherjee will address thousands of students of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) on like various topics including the Indian Economy, Sustainable Development and Digitalisation during its annual science and technology festival between December 29-31.Along with them, Manohar Parrikarl, Chief Minister of Goa and Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation will also address the students at the convocation hall of IIT-B. While Mukherjee, Parikar and Sinha will address on December 29, Karzai will address on December 31.”The themes of the festival are Digitalisation, Sustainability and Biotechnology as we identified that technological advancement in these segments need to be stressed upon considering the current nation’s scenario and the world at large, said IIT-B in a statement.”Apart from futuristic exhibits coming from all over the world, Techfest will have the honour to host some of the best machines and equipment from Indian Army, Indian Navy and DRDO,” IIT-B said in a statement. Techfest is scheduled to take place on 29th, 30th and 31st December this year, that will see many international students participate in various events of the festival. Students from USA, Canada, UK, China, Italy, Afghanistan, UAE will participate for the festival, however students from Pakistan will not be among participating country for techfest this year too.

The number two leader of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Suresh (Bhaiya JI) Joshi said that the development model adopted in the country after independence is not our model. This is a foreign model. After independence, the leadership of the then country was influenced by western ideology.Bhaiya Ji was addressing the lecture organised on the topic “Relevance of Ekatma-manavvad (integral humanism)”. Joshi said that Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay has done the task of keeping basic thinking in front of the society, and that is what we know as integral humanism.The country became independent, but we could not distinguish between the Suraj and the Swaraj. Therefore, the need for remembering those great men once again was needed. Pandit Upadhyay placed this thought in front of everyone. An opportunity came in 1947. Considering all the development plans taken on the basis of contemplation of Western thought could have been the matter of adding to the original stream. But unfortunately, this country’s leadership of that time was influenced by western ideas and western education. Considering the development model which was going in the world that time, it was accepted in the country also. From the legal point of view, India emerged as an independent country, but our country did not run independently nor did it run on its ideology. There was an opportunity in 1947 which we lost. Following west became our destinyExpressing his concern over environmental damage due to modernity and industrialization, Joshi said that we have to work for the reconstruction of the environment. The more you take, the same should be taken from nature.On this occasion, Mahesh Chandra Sharma, President of Ekatm-Manvvad Research and Development Institute, said that the path Independent India should follow was shown by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. DIGNITARIES PRESENT DURING EVENTChief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Vice-Chancellor of Rajasthan University Prof RK. Kothari, RSS leader Durgadas and Nimbaram and other dignitaries were also present during the occasion. Expressing his concern over environmental damage due to modernity and industrialization, Joshi said that we have to work for the reconstruction of the environment.

How much do 400 rupees mean to most of us? May be a popcorn bucket for kids on a weekend movie show or petrol bill for a couple of days office commutation during week days. But for Kamali a 23-year-old from Jharniya village in Banswara district, it is an amount enough to put her ‘to be born’ baby on risk. Kamali, is an expecting mother with a due date to deliver an issue in February. In her 30th week of pregnancy, Kamali did not go for any Ante Natal Checkup (ANC) so far. She has a reason for that.“We are daily wage labourers and that’s how we feed our five-member family,” Kamali explained. “Due to my pregnancy, our earning has already reduced to half as I am unable to go for work and in such a condition I cannot afford to take my husband along, who has to cover a distance of 28 kilometre to reach his workplace, for my check up at Anganwadi Center as it will mean a complete loss of a day’s earning. We can’t afford,” she added.Kamali represents lakhs of pregnant women in Rajasthan who have not received a single ANC during their pregnancy and her reason to avoid mother and child care facilities is the most common one that puts lakhs of mothers and their unborns life at risk. “Clearly, we see that financial loss matters more for them compared to the health. So there was a need to compensate their financial loss in order to motivate them to visit Anganwadi or health centres.” Manoj Jain, Additional Director (Nutrition) at Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) said.“For the purpose, State Women and Child Development Department has rolled out the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) in the state. Now, all the pregnant women and lactating mothers, in the state, who have their first pregnancy can get the benefits of PMMVY. PMMVY is the union government aided scheme to benefit pregnant women and lactating mothers for the birth of their first live child. Beneficiary will get Rs 5,000 in three instalments at the stage of early registration of pregnancy, after six months of pregnancy on at least one antenatal check-up and registration of child birth and first cycle of immunization of the child. All the pregnant women and lactating mothers who have their first pregnancy on or after 1 January 2017 can avail the scheme benefits now.“The benefit amount would be send directly to the bank account of the beneficiary through Direct Benefit Transfer mode,” said Manoj Jain.SCHEME TO CONTROL INFANT MORTALITY RATEAs per SRS bulletin 2016, IMR in Rajasthan is 41 deaths per 1,000 live births It is far more than the national IMR of 34 per 1,000 live births. Birth asphyxia, low birth weight are leading causes of deaths of infants in the state. IMR in rural areas is 45 which is almost 50% more than the IMR in urban areas. IMR in rural Rajasthan is 30 which is 30% more than the national rural IMR figure of 23. ABOUT PRADHAN MANTRI MATRU VANDANA YOJANARajasthan rolled out the scheme on December 5, 2017. 5-6 lakh pregnant women will be benefited per year. Total Rs 5,000 will be given to each pregnant woman and lactating mother. Scheme means to motivate for ANC and immunization, through financial assistance. THE AMOUNT WILL BE PAID IN 3 INSTALLMENTSRs 1000 at the time of registration of pregnancy.Rs 2,000 At least one ANC carried out after six months of pregnancy.Rs 2,000 The birth of child registered and the child received first cycle of vaccines, including BCG, OPV, DPT and hepatitis-B.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday warned private schools of the “strongest action” for allegedly harassing parents by arbitrarily increasing fees to comply with the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission.The warning came after reports suggested that private schools substantially increased their fees to comply with the seventh central pay commission (CPC) recommendations.In October, the Delhi government had allowed recognised unaided private schools on Delhi Development Authority (DDA) land to increase their fees by 15 per cent as an “interim” measure to comply with the CPC recommendations, which include a nearly 25 per cent increase in salaries of school teachers.”Parents from all over Delhi have met me in last few days wi complaints that schools r demanding v high fee including arrears to implement 7th Pay Commission. This must stop. I have directed Edu Dept to review the whole situation n to take immediate steps to stop this (sic),” Kejriwal said on Twitter.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered a probe into the trust which built the famous Hanuman statue in the busy Karol Bagh area of the city, saying the 108-feet structure could not have built overnight without the “active connivance” of the local authorities.Had the authorities done their duty, something like this would not have happened, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar observed while ordering a probe into the trust that built the idol and was maintaining it.”Nothing would have happened, if we (civic agencies and the government) would have been doing our job,” the bench said, adding that “this structure could not have been built overnight without connivance of the public authorities”.It said the land belongs to the city and not the individual sitting in the government office, so it has to be returned to the public.Annoyed over the illegalities surrounding the Hanuman statue, the bench directed the Delhi Police to find out the details and the money deposited in the bank accounts of the trust running the temple.It sought to know from the Municipal Corporation about the property tax paid by the trustee of the temple, which is allegedly on the right of way of vehicular traffic.It asked the Delhi Development Authority to provide the details of officials responsible for the construction of the huge structure on the public land.The bench directed the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) to also provide the full particulars of the persons responsible for erection of the idol.The court ordered an enquiry after a committee appointed by it in May this year to look into illegal constructions all over Delhi, had pointed to encroachments of up to 1170 square yards on DDA land which forms part of the Southern Ridge.”This is clearly in the teeth of the orders of the Supreme Court regarding protection of the Ridge Area and is completely impermissible,” the committee had said.It had also said that apart from the Hanuman statue, there was unauthorised construction of multiple small and big buildings of up to four floors including a residential complex there.The bench had then directed the authorities to take action against the unauthorised construction on public land and ensure that all encroachments on the Southern Ridge are removed immediately and the Ridge is secured in terms of the orders of the Supreme Court.

Land mining near Bhamod Gram Panchayat has led farmers to abandon their cultivation due to a shortage of water. This was revealed in a recent study conducted by 30 research scholars during a short course organised by Institute of Development Studies.According to the research, the land mining has led to depletion of the groundwater level and the water shortage in the village.As a result, small farmers have abandoned their cultivation as there was no money to bring water through the pipeline from faraway places. Hence, a major chunk of the cultivable and fertile land in the village is left uncultivated for a long time.Farmers reportedly remain idle throughout the year as there is no other alternative employment opportunities in the village.In the field survey, 74 per cent farmers reported that farming is not profitable for them as a source of livelihood. The next best alternative is to depend on cattle rearing as 43 per cent of farmers reported. However, cattle rearing is also not considered as a feasible solution as the optimum price is not levied in the market.In addition to this, the saline water has left the farmers with many diseases such as joint pain and kidney diseases. The villages do not have government dispensaries and veterinary hospitals.

Many filmmakers have received letters from the Union minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi this week about the law on sexual harassment at work. Gandhi’s office said that the letters were to ensure that production houses provide a secure environment for the women working there.Filmmakers and producers who received the letter include Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Ekta Kapoor, Mahesh Bhatt, Shahrukh Khan, Sooraj Barjatya, Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Anil Ambani, Aamir Khan, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Pritish Nandy, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Subhash Ghai.Gandhi said that the letter intends to inform them about the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition Redressal) Act 2013, so that they can implement it immediately.”The aim of this law is to ensure that no woman is sexually harassed at her workplace,” the letter said. “This is to be followed in letter and spirit by all organisations in the country and I expect you to personally lead these efforts with sincerity and commitment, in accordance with all the applicable laws.”Any institution that comes under the purview of the Act is ethically and legally accountable to provide a safe, secure and inclusive work environment for the safety of not only their direct employees, but all outsourced and temporary staff as well.”Gandhi’s letter comes days after the Finance Minister ceded to her long-standing demand to amend the Companies Act, 2013 to ensure that it is mandatory for all companies and institutions that come under the Act to constitute an internal complaints committee to report sexual harassment at the workplace.Last month, the ministry had launched a complaint portal — SHe-Box — for government employees to lodge sexual harassment complaints online.

BJP’s National General Secretary Ram Madhav delivered a lecture on “Swami Vivekananda’s teachings” to the faculty members of Delhi University (DU) on Tuesday. This was during their ongoing refresher course entitled ‘Indian Culture: Thoughts and Thinkers.’Urging faculty members to teach students the writings of Swami Vivekananda, Madhav said, “Today’s youth need to read and understand his writings to have a better understanding of Indian culture and tradition.””Patriotism and pride for the nation is most important traits the youth should possess. And, Swami Vivekananda’s writings can teach them that,” he said. Madhav also reminded the class, packed with faculty members, about the colonial rule in the country.DNA on December 4, has reported that some faculty members who had attended the course, had claimed that “biased” and “irrational” topics had been taught to them during the course. Claiming that most of the speakers addressing the course were either “former RSS pracharaks” or “right-wing ideologists”, several faculty members had also alleged that “the University is using it as a tool to give some space to people of a particular ideology.””Why is the BJP’s National General Secretary being called to deliver a lecture during a course meant for our promotion. It clearly shows that the University is trying to promote a particular ideology through this platform,” said a professor at Dyal Singh College (morning) who asked not to be named. The professor was attending the course being held at the Centre for Professional Development in Higher Education, an academic staff college of the UGC at DU. Earlier, faculty members said that they were taught how yajna can help combat pollution and the presence of the image of an omkar is in the sun’s rays.

The Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MahaGenco) is planning to develop solar power projects on dams in its first such attempt in the state. These floating solar panels will do away with the need for the state-owned utility to acquire land to add capacity to its renewable energy portfolio and also reduce the evaporation of water from these reservoirs.The MahaGenco plans to develop solar power worth 250 MW capacity through this route. “We are planning solar power projects on dams and have initiated pre-feasibility studies. In the initial phase, these panels will be set up on our own reservoirs, such as the Irai dam at Chandrapur which supplies water to the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS), after which we can take up work on the irrigation department’s resources,” a senior MahaGenco official told DNA.The projects are likely to be set up in the public private partnership (PPP) route through tariff-based competitive bidding. The MahaGenco is also considering some dams owned by the water resources department, including those in Vidarbha and the Ujani dam at Solapur, for adding solar power capacity.A senior water resources department official said they were willing to allow the setup of such projects on dams as these solar panels will reduce evaporation and make more water available for end-users. “We are willing to give a 2,000 hectare water area (surface area of the dam) of the 34,000 hectare total water area at Ujani. This will be an experimental project,” said another official from the department.At present, the MahaGenco has 180 MW grid-connected solar power capacity, including 5 MW at Chandrapur, 125 MW at Sakhri in Dhule and 50 MW at Baramati. It has 10,580 MW installed thermal power generation capacity and plans to add further capacity largely in renewables.The new renewable energy policy approved by the state government aims at creating 14,400 MW of fresh grid-connected installed capacity in the sector by 2020.This includes 7,500 MW from solar energy of which the MahaGenco will undertake works on 2,500 MW with the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) contributing the rest. Of this 2,500 MW, the generation utility plans to add 500 MW on its own lands on EPC basis and 500 MW through the solar park at Dondaicha in Dhule. Around 1,500 MW will come through sources including the grid-connected solar agriculture feeder scheme for which letters of intent for 204 MW have been issued, solar lift irrigation schemes including 65 MW at Mor dam in Jalgaon and 60 MW Tembhu in Sangli and the floating solar panels on dams.FIRST OF ITS KINDMahaGenco plans to develop solar powere worth 250 MW capacity First plant to be setup on Irai dam in Chandrapur Dams located in Vidarbha, Ujani and Solapur being considered

The state government has fast-tracked the development of Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) and 10 other airports. The State has set up an 11-member Project Monitoring & Implementation Committee (PMIC), headed by Chief Secretary Sumit Malik, for early clearance of the Request For Proposal (RFP), Concession Agreement and other documents necessary for the bidding process and awarding the contract. PMIC’s members include joint secretary of the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and chairman of the Airports Authority of India.Recently, a similar PMIC, chaired by the Chief Secretary, approved the financial bid submitted by GVK-led Mumbai International Airport’s (MIAL) to construct the Navi Mumbai International Airport.MIHAN is an airport project for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur, hometown of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister of Transport Nitin Gadkari. Ten other airports are being developed at Kolhapur, Shirdi, Amravati, Gondia, Nashik, Jalgaon, Nanded, Solapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.They are all under the Centre’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), part of the ambitious National Civil Aviation Policy, 2010.MIHAN aims to exploit Nagpur’s central location and convert the present airport into a major cargo hub with integrated road and rail connectivity. The project is made up of two parts – an international airport that will act as a cargo hub and a Special Economic Zone with a residential zone.The project cost is envisaged at Rs 2,581 crore, based on 2002 rates and it is expected to attract investment of over Rs 20,000 crore.An officer from the state Civil Aviation department told DNA, “The PMIC will have a major role in providing timely clearances for RFP, Concession Agreement and other documents necessary for the development of MIHAN and 10 other airports. After PMIC’s approval, the State cabinet will give the final nod.”As reported by DNA, the state government has appointed the Maharashtra Airports Development Company (MADC) as co-ordinator and facilitator for 28 existing airports, and the development of MIHAN and 10 other airports under RCS. The state government has already agreed to provide a slew of sops, including tax-cut on air fuel for 10 years, free-of-cost land, and electricity and water at concessional rates.

Amid serious discussions on forging a partnership between India, Japan, and the United States, a glittering ceremony, marked by beautiful cultural performances, enthralled the audience on the second day of the Global Partnership Summit, 2017.The Alternative Development Model (ADM), backbone of India-Japan cooperation, remained the focus of the Summit on Tuesday. Reportedly, the model can be followed by other nations to usher in peace and make the world a better place.Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, RSS leader Indresh Kumar, and a number of Japanese politicians and representatives from think-tanks laid out a blueprint for the future alternative development model of cooperation, which could be a torch-bearer for rest of the world. Policy-makers and top industry players were also a part of the discussions.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said the time has come for countries to move from competition to cooperation for peaceful existence. “Sharing of technology, values, wealth, and wisdom is the only way to progress.”Cooperation is the only way forward against the global ills of terrorism, violence, climate change, and pollution. Everybody is connected through technology but are we caring for the environment? We need to ponder over these issues,” he said.Earlier, the audience cheered for the US band ‘Now Dreaming’, which performed some of their popular numbers, including an especially composed theme song for the Summit, titled ‘Better Now’. Kathak dancer Madhura Sane also performed on the occasion.Speaking about pollution, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said the Japanese-manufactured electric car, which was being showcased at the Summit, was needed for a city like Delhi. “It will do wonders in a city like Delhi, which is with pollution,” he said, adding that green vehicles should be available to every body at affordable cost.Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, gave a low down on the government schemes aimed at changing the lives of people, particularly farmers. He said the outcomes of this Summit will be deliberated upon and taken seriously by the Indian government.Japanese parliamentarian and secretary general of the ruling party in Japan, Toshihiro Nikai, who is also the GPS chairman, in a video message, underlined the need for close cooperation.A school teacher-turned-politician and a parliamentarian in Japan, Michiko Ueno, spoke about the need to transform the education system. Even though she could not speak English, she stressed on the need for English education in Japanese schools, while giving India’s example.Bilali Camara, UNAIDS India Country Director, stressed on how human rights were an intrinsic part of development. Invoking Mahatma Gandhi and his principles of non-violence, he said: “World can be a better place, if people put their hands together. A better world will embrace everybody and not exclude one continent from another.” Belonging to Haiti and having worked extensively in Tanzania and South Africa, he added that even Africa will benefit from Indo-Japan partnership.

Will prayers reach god if you pray from temples built illegally on pavements? This was a question posed by the Delhi High Court today as it dealt with a case of removing encroachments from around the 108-feet tall Hanuman statue in the Karol Bagh area of central Delhi.”Will prayers reach the god if you pray from illegal encroachments on pavements? What is its sanctity,” a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said, warning that everyone responsible for unauthorised constructions, including the temple, “will be dealt with”.The court asked the municipal corporation of north Delhi, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, to produce records pertaining to the construction of the road and the pavement adjoining which the illegal encroachments have sprung up.The direction was issued after Delhi government additional standing counsel Satyakam, appearing for the Public Works Department (PWD), told the bench that the road and the pavement was the responsibility of the municipal corporation.He said while one paw of the statue fell on the pavement, the rest of the structure was primarily located on land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).Thereafter, the court asked the authorities why commercial activities and car parking was permitted in the area and said it will prosecute the corporation and DDA officials during whose tenure the statue and other encroachments came up.Satyakam, who also appeared for the Delhi Police, said the temple, including the statue, was being maintained and operated by a trust whose bank statements were being examined by the agency.The bench asked the police to complete its enquiry and follow and enforce the law.It also questioned the trust authority over running and maintaining a temple on DDA land.The court was hearing several pleas in connection with illegal constructions and encroachments in Karol Bagh area of Delhi. It had earlier said that religious structures cannot be allowed to encroach on public land for private gain.

Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has invited criticism from her own party – Bharataiya Janata Party (BJP) – for saying that legislators “construct big houses” in a year after winning elections but do not come back amongst people.Speaking at a programme at her Lok Sabha constituency in Pilibhit, Mrs Gandhi claimed last week that she has sold her own house gifted by her late husband for the service of the people. “My late husband had left a house for me. It was sold in service of the people of Pilibhit and I live in a government accommodation. The money from selling the house was used in medical treatment and welfare of the people here,” Gandhi said at a public meeting in Mudia Kundari village in the district on Friday.Also readCentre gives in to Maneka Gandhi demand on ICDS schemeMrs Gandhi, Minister for Women & Child Development in the Narendra Modi government, represents Pilibhit in the Lok Sabha. Hitting out at corrupt politicians, she said, “MLAs take your votes and never come back. Unclothed people become legislators and construct big houses in a single year after winning elections.”Also readFirst you eat meat, then meat eats you: Maneka Gandhi stresses on going vegetarianHer comments invited angry retorts from the BJP leaders as all four assembly constituencies in Pilibhit district are being represented by the party legislators. Reacting to her statement, BJP’s Pilibhit district president Suresh Gangwar said she should not use such language for MLAs. He accused her of repeatedly using such language and questioned her claim of her house getting sold. Also readManeka Gandhi wants rehab centres away from cops“She has not got such works done that her house would be sold,” he said. Kishan Lal Rajput, MLA from Barkhera said none of the four leaders have made big houses. “I have been living in my parental home in Jahanabad, and I have not made any luxurious alterations to it after I won the assembly seat,” Rajput said.”As far as the other three MLAs are concerned, Sanjay Gangwar from Pilibhit City already has a big house, while Ramsaran Verma in Bisalpur and Babu Ram Paswan in Puranpur are living happily in simple structures which their parents built long ago,” he added.Gandhi’s spokesperson defended her statement saying that minister was not referring to any party.”The minister was not referring to legislators of BJP or any other party in any way. She had given an example of those corrupt public representatives who have in previous times misused their political privileges to serve their vested interest, ignoring their accountability to the masses,” her spokesperson Mohd Rizwan Malik was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

Maharashtra government hopes to attract an investment of Rs 20,000 crore exclusively from women enterprises during 2017-2022 period in response to its industrial policy for women entrepreneurs, released last week.According to State Industries Minister Subhash Desai, the government is expecting an investment from women entrepreneurs in the field of textiles, plastic, imitation jewellery and food processing between 2017 and 2022. This will lead to creation of one lakh jobs. A women entrepreneur would get a financial assistance of Rs 15 lakh to Rs 1 crore in proportion of 15 per cent to 35 per cent of the capital investment of the project at a subsidised rate of interest of upto 5 per cent. The projects will get electricity at subsidised rate of Rs 1-2 per unit, instead of Rs 7-8 per unit charges for industries.”State Development Commissioner Harshdeep Kamble said the regulatory environment in Maharashtra is very friendly and the government will go that extra mile to facilitate the growth of women entrepreneurs. “The recent policy announced for women entrepreneurs will be a paradigm shift by providing subsidy in interest to women entrepreneurs,” he noted.Desai said land will be reserved for women industrialists in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation areas across the state. “As per the policy, to make a market for women entrepreneurs, spaces will be kept reserved to display the products in various public places, malls, railway stations, bus stations, airports, movie theatres, foot over bridges, sub-way or commercial complexes. The woman and child development department will also keep aside Rs 50 crore for the policy, which will be valid for 5 years or till further directives issued by the industries department,” he added.Indian Merchants Chamber director general Arvind Pradhan said it is Maharashtra’s ‘Eureka’ moment to have become the first Indian state by announcing a special policy for women entrepreneurs. “In India, almost 50% working women are employed in agriculture while only 20% are in manufacturing and 30% in services. Unemployment rates range between 17% and 22% for young women. Hence, a policy to boost entrepreneurship among women who are given capital grant of upto Rs 1 crore is laudable. This will only create jobs but ensure that Maharashtra emerges as a trail blazer among all states for women empowerment,” he opined.According to Pradhan, the policy will give impetus for construction of additional building spaces in malls and commercial buildings for exclusive women owned enterprises.

To make their crime investigation and law and order management more efficient, the Delhi Police will divide into two wings. After making the decision to bifurcate the force, the Ministry of Home Affairs has now directed Commissioner Amulya Patnaik to divide the police force into two units — Investigation and Law and Order.The move for the reshuffle came after the force failed in clearing the backlog of cases.DNA recently reported that the force could solve on average only about 33 per cent of cases till mid November. The ministry issued directions based on strong recommendations from the Bureau of Police Research and Development in this regard.Documents accessed by DNA show that in a recent letter to the office of the Commissioner of Police, the Ministry of Home Affairs conveyed the Centre’s approval for the creation of 4,227 posts — 1,409 sub/assistant sub inspectors, 1,409 head constables, and 1,409 constables — to be operationalised in two phases — 50 per cent posts in 2016-2017 and remaining posts in 2017-2018.This will facilitate the separation of crime investigations and law and order functions.The commissioner then approved the districts- or unit-wise allocation of 4,227 posts in two phases. The allocation of these 4,227 posts (3,645 posts of 1,215 teams, each of which would include a sub inspector, a constable and a head constable, along with 582 posts) has been made across various Delhi Police units. Notorious districts such as Rohini and northeast have the highest number of 510 posts each.Core investigative units such as the Crime Branch and Special Cell have been allocated six and three posts, respectively. Apart from this, north district got 132 posts, central 117, outer 414, east 459 and Shahadra 321. A copy of the letter has also been sent to Additional Secretary, MHA, all the Special Commissioners, Joint Commissioners, Additional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and other officers of the Delhi Police.SPLIT AND ACTConsidering its dismal show in clearing backlog of cases, the Home Ministry has directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to divide the force for better performance

A home buyer cannot do a forum shopping in regards to his complaint, he has to choose between MahaRERA or the the consumer forum.The MahaRERA held this view while dismissing a complaint of a home buyer who had filed a complaint at MahaRERA and also at consumer disputes redressal commission.The complainant a home buyer Deepak Tejwani, had filed a complaint with Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority, contending therein that he had booked a flat no. 506 in C-2, Siddhi project of the developer situated at Shahad, Kalyan.It is the grievance of the complainant that the developer Anil Chabria has not executed the agreement for sale of the said flat and register it. The respondent has also failed to inform him about the status of the construction.The developer then brought to the notice of MahaRERA, that the home buyer had filed CC no. 870 of 2017 before the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Maharashtra State, Mumbai on 14.06.2017 in respect of same flat against the developer and one of the prayers of the said complaint is also regarding the execution and registration of the agreement for sale.”The complainant wants to ride on two horses at a time which is not permissible in view of Section 71 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016. The complainant is at liberty to proceed with only one case, either the case before the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission or MahaRERA.”When the complainant has been asked to choose one, he submits that if MahaRERA grants his relief in this complaint then he shall withdraw the complaint filed before the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. I find that the complainant cannot do a forum shopping, hence, this complaint is dismissed,” read the order passed by MahaRERA member BD Kapadnis.

While one of the largest land acquisition exercises is currently underway in the state for the construction of 701-km Mumbai Nagpur Super Expressway, officials involved in the process claim that due to trust deficit in the government, few landholders are opting for land pooling, and are instead selling their land to the government.Under land pooling, landholders get 30 per cent of the developed land after 10 years, which is one of the reasons behind not much are willing to wait for 10 years. The Rs 46,000 crore Expressway will need 10,000 hectares of land and the distance of 700 km between Mumbai and Nagpur will be covered in just 8-10 hours.The project is currently at bidding stage and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) claims to have acquired 2,500 hectares of land out of the total required 10,000 hectares of land for the Expressway.An MSRDC official said, “Majority of the landholders who are giving their land for the project are not going for land pooling and instead directly selling their land. This is because inland pooling landholders have to wait for 10 years to get developed land, and it seems there is a trust deficit in minds of people when it comes to dealing with the government.”The MSRDC is offering five times more the rate than the prevailing ready reckoner rate of a particular area in case an individual coming to give its land for the project on its own.The official, added, “But very few are opting for land pooling considering they will have to wait for 10 years to get the developed land, and also there is trust deficit. But even selling off their lands is not causing any loss. They are getting more than what is the actual market rate.”

A group of diamond traders from Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) have demanded that space be allotted for a cycle stand outside Bandra station (E) and inside BKC so that office goers are motivated to use cycles for commute.The group has also written to several authorities including the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), traffic police department and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) asking that space be allotted to park their cycles. They claim that using cycles is not only environment-friendly but will also help avoid traffic snarls during peak hours in BKC.The MMRDA had also requested offices in BKC to stagger office timings so that traffic can be managed efficiently during the ongoing construction work of DN Nagar Mandale Metro-2BBhavesh Shah, a diamond trader from BKC, said, “We have written several times to the authority to have cycle stands and parking. Earlier, in BKC, we had cycle tracks and cycle stands but that was shut down.”Shah added, “There are lakhs of office goers who will happily use cycles between Bandra station and BKC but without cycle stands, what is the point of cycle tracks? For now, we want cycle stands, cycle tracks can follow later.”Meanwhile, a senior MMRDA official, said, “Our cycle track project failed. However, if we want cycle stands, it will require coordination from several agencies. The proposal if found feasible will be implemented.”Off trackThe MMRDA had built a 10-km cycle track in BKC in 2011. However, the track was removed, and it was replaced with bus lanes. But those too were removed after motorists complained of traffic snarls.

Dubbing Rahul Gandhi’s visits to temples as a mere “pretence”, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the Congress vice president to make his party’s stand clear on the Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute.He also alleged that the Congress was adopting double standards on the Ayodhya issue as it “does not want it to get resolved in a peaceful manner”.”I appeal to Rahul Gandhi to please clear the Congress’ stand on the issue as he is soon to become the party president,” Adityanath said here last night while campaigning for BJP candidate Jitendra Sukhadia at Gorva locality in Sayajigunj Assembly constituency.His remarks come in the wake of senior Congress leader and lawyer Kapil Sibal’s submission in the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya dispute case, that the matter be heard after July 2019, after the next Lok Sabha polls.Taking a dig at Gandhi over his visits to temples, the UP chief minister said he does not even know how to sit properly in a temple.He said under the UPA government, an affidavit had been filed in the Supreme Court over the Ram Setu case, which said that Lord Ram and Lord Krishna were imaginary.”If they are imaginary, then what is Rahul Gandhi doing in temples? His visits to temples is just a pretence,” he said.Accusing the Congress of trying to divide the people of Gujarat on communal lines, he urged the voters to defeat the party in the state elections.”Its defeat will coincide with Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as the party president. It will initiate the process of fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’,” he said.The development of Gujarat started after Modi became the chief minister of the state in 2001. He eliminated corruption from the system and concentrated only on the development of Gujarat, which has become a role model for the country, he said.”If Congress returns to power in Gujarat, the pace of development will take take a hit,” he said.According to him, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been following the Gujarat model of development.Adityanath claimed that infiltration from Pakistan stopped after Modi became the prime minister.He said, US President Donald Trump, during his presidential campaign, had said that if he gets elected, he would follow the example of Narendra Modi, “which shows that Modi has emerged as a global leader”.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday ruled that construction of lifts in service lane or common areas of housing societies is not illegal. The court was responding to a plea that sought to set aside a No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) to a housing society.The court’s direction come while hearing a plea that had challenged the grant of NOC for theconstruction of a lift in the service lane, to cater to four of the residential blocks of Dhruva Cooperative Group Housing Society. The society houses 52 blocks.The petition had contended that the construction was permitted in the service lane, which is a common area and hence the NOC granted was illegal. It also said that the common areas (service lane) are permitted for installing a lift.The plea also stated that the NOC had been issued without site inspection by the EDMC and without applying any rationality or reasoning.The court, while striking down all the arguments of the petitioner, stated that whole premise, on which the petition is founded, is misconceived.Justice A K Chawla said, “The policy to issue NOC for the purposes of erection of the lifts in a Group Housing Flats built by DDA or Group Housing Societies, falling within the jurisdiction of the different Corporations cannot be faulted with”.The single bench referred to a Shaik Abdul Hameed vs Delhi Development Authority & Ors case where it was observed by the High court that housing societies were made at a time when lifts were not in vogue. It had held that such lifts would help the aged during medical complications and that it would be convenient for all.“Most of the flat owners, who may have purchased the same 30-40 years ago, would be old and infirm. It is often not possible for them to take the staircase up to the first, second and third floors. In the absence of the facility of a lift the prospect of having to take the stairs to reach the ground or to access a higher floor apartment can be very daunting,” the court saidDuring the course of hearing the bench found that it was only the petitioner along with three other members who were raising questions out of the 206 members in the society.“Societies cannot function in this manner. Once, a decision is taken by the society through its elected executive, all the members of the society are bound by it. It also does not lie in the mouth of the petitioners that the permission granted by the society for the issuance of impugned NOC is not in the larger interest of the occupants of the four blocks, where the lift is getting erected,” the court said and rejected the plea.
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Yogi Adityanath

India’s new envoy to China Gautam Bambawale has invited firms from the world’s second largest economy to invest in the country, citing heavy sales being registered by Chinese mobile phone manufacturers.Being the sixth largest economy with the seize of USD 2.5 trillion, growing at the rate of 7 to 8 per cent, India offers a huge market and several business opportunities, he said.”We believe that many Chinese companies are well suited and well positioned to take advantage of the large and growing Indian market,” Bambawale said at a seminar on ‘Investment Opportunities in India’ here yesterday.”Chinese mobile phone maker OPPO has just announced that its sales revenue in India in fiscal 2016 grew by 750 per cent, thereby making it a very significant player in India’s mobile phone market. I need not say more,” Bambawale said.He also highlighted India’s move to further liberalise business visas for Chinese travellers to India by introducing an e-visa facility.”The entire process can be done online without a need to visit either our embassy in Beijing or any one of our consulates in China,” he said.The seminar received an overwhelming response with more than 270 representatives from more than 190 Chinese companies attending the event, the Indian embassy said in a statement. Also readSpeaking to China at ‘all levels’ to include India into the Nuclear Supplies Group: RussiaRajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, emphasised the sound economic fundamentals of India – enumerating a young working population, high savings rate and low levels of government debt as important positive indicators for the Indian economy, the statement said.Kumar was here to attend the annual dialogue between NITI Aayog and China’s Development Research Centre (DRC).The DRC, under the State Council, China’s Cabinet, is the agency mainly responsible for doing research on strategic, long-term issues in China’s economic and social development.Also readIndia can grow faster than China: NITI Aayog VCSenior Chinese government officials including Vice Minister of the Development Research Centre of the State Council Wang Liming and Vice President of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Chen Zhou were also present at the event.Bambawale, who has served as High Commissioner to Pakistan and earlier as India’s envoy to Bhutan, submitted his credentials to President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.
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Yogi Adityanath

It was a sort of homecoming for Sunil Arora – the Rajasthan cadre high profile IAS officer who scaled up the ladder to assume constitutional post of Election Commissioner (EC) – when he landed at the Sanganer airport for the first time in 4 months after taking over as the EC. He was flown in a craft of Air India – the company which he had helmed between August 2003- December 2003. Arora received a grand welcome at the Airport with senior officials including State Chief Electoral Officer Ashwini Bhagat, Jaipur Collector Siddharth Mahajan and DCP Kunwar Rashtradeep lined up to receive him. He is scheduled to hold a meeting of senior officials to review preparations for the 2018 assembly elections. He will also participate in the function being held in the memory of former chief secretary M L Mehta on Thursday.Arora, widely acclaimed as a no-nonsense officer, is visiting various states where elections are scheduled in 2018. Those who have worked with Arora are aware that the 1980 batch IAS officer doesn’t have any room for slackness. Officials of election commission and collectorate are said to have done their homework well to see Arora off in a good humour. Arora’s career blossomed under the BJP governments – be it Bhairon Singh Shekhawat or Raje government in state or Vajpayee and Narendra Modi regimes at centre, Arora enjoyed plum postings. In the current Modi government Arora was privileged to handle two ministries – Skill Development and later Information & Broadcasting. So when Arora was made Election Commissioner, experts viewed it as a master stroke of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he is likely to be the Chief Election Commissioner during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
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Yogi Adityanath

A committee formed by the Haryana government has found criminal negligence on the part of Fortis hospital, causing the death of a seven-year-old girl suffering from dengue. The statement comes after a committee of senior doctors, formed by the state government, gave its recommendations.The committee has alleged several irregularities, including refusal of appropriate ambulance service to the patient, not following leave against medical advice (LAMA) protocol, and overcharging.”The girl was on ventilator in the hospital, but she was provided with an ordinary ambulance. The ventilator system was withdrawn and even an ambu bag was not provided. This eventually led to her death,” Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said on Wednesday.According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) protocol, if a patient is discharged against medical advice, the hospital arranges or advises for an ambulance that could provide similar conditions. “The ambulance in which the girl was being transported had no such facilities.”An Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance should have been used. but a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance was provided, which had no such facilities,” he added.The Haryana government will file an FIR against the Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for death due to negligence and will also ask the Medical Council of India (MCI) to take action against the hospital, which may include cancelling of its licence.The committee also found the Fortis Hospital guilty of overcharging for medicines and platelets and has sent a notice for cancellation of its blood bank’s licence. “Costly medicines were used even when its substitute was available, violating the IMA’s regulation. Also platelets were given 25 times, for which Rs 400 per unit was charged 17 times, while Rs 2,000 per unit was charged for the remaining eight times. Overall profit margin in medicine is 108 per cent and a few consumables have a 1,737 per cent margin,” Vij added.Moreover, a notice has been sent to the Fortis Hospital by the committee for violating the Epidemic Act by not notifying the dengue case to the local authority concerned. If found guilty, the hospital authorities could be imprisoned for a period ranging from a month to six months and may have to pay a fine of Rs 200 to Rs 1,000.It was also found by the committee that the hospital did not provide 20 per cent RBD to the patient’s family, violating a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA). The parents had also alleged forgery of their signatures on consent form multiple times, Vij added.Parents of the seven-year old girl, who died on November 21 of Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS), had accused the Fortis hospital of charging Rs 16 lakh for the 15-day treatment.The hospital, however, denied all allegations.
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Yogi Adityanath

The 15th convocation ceremony of Jai Narayan Vyas University was held on Monday in the auditorium of MBM Engineering College. Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr Satyapal Singh was the chief guest on the occasion. A total of 70 gold medals were awarded to meritorious students in the year 2016 examinations in the presence of vice chancellor professor RP Singh.42(60%) out of those 70 medals were awarded to girl students whereas boys were awarded 28 medals. A total of 29 gold medals were awarded in UG courses, 17 to girl students and 12 to boys. Similarly, 41 gold medals were awarded in PG courses (28 girls and15 boys). Similarly, girl students won 68% medals in PG exams and 59% gold medals in UG exams.Prior to the programme, NCC cadets gave the guard of honor to the guests. The students of the music department sang national anthem and the university song. The vice chancellor and registrar professor PK Sharma welcomed the guests.Speaking on the sidelines of the programme, Dr Satyapal Singh, Minister of State for Human Resource Development said that the teachers are honorable and creative and not destructive. Respecting them only increase the level of education. He told DNA that teaching profession is only considered as government job which is wrong. If the level of teachers is not good then quality in education cannot be expected. He told that the changes in the system are needed. There is a need to increase the level of education from school education to higher levels of education. “Attempts are being made to improve the level of higher educational institutions,” he added.
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Yogi Adityanath

The process of auctioning commercial land of Rajasthan state road transport corporation (RSRTC) which is at Chomu House Parivahan Marg will be carried out on Wednesday.Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) will carry out this exercise in the auction hall of its office.The land comes in zone number 1 and is 5000 square meter in area. Having khasra number 151/443 the land is of commercial nature.This means that Roadways is going ahead with its plan to sell off the property to settle the dues it has accumulated.Meanwhile, in a press conference organised by transport minister Yunus khan on Monday in his chamber in the secretariat, has claimed that no land has been sold.He instead told that the attempts to sell land of tyre plant were being made for 3 years.He informed that alternative land has been given in Bagrana to roadways in lieu of the land while in Deedwana (Nagaur) also of 7000 square meter area was also given free of cost to roadways. The media persons had been raising questions about the selling of properties of roadways.Earlier on Saturday also, while addressing a press conference had clearly termed Rajasthan roadways a pride of state and had said that it won’t be closed. Notably, Roadways earns revenue of Rs 150 crores, while its administrative expenses are Rs 195 crores. The plan was made to clear the liabilities of the roadways which are running into crores The employees of roadways have already been opposing this move. A few days back, JDA had issued advertisements to auction various properties of JDA.Apart from this land, two more lands having same khasra number having area of 5000 square meters of commercial use and 9390.55 square meter which is of mixed-use nature were advertised for auction on December 13 and 20 respectively.WORK BOYCOTTRoadways employees will boycott work for one hour on Wednesday between 1pm and 2pm. Kishan Singh Rathore, general secretary of Rajasthan Roadways Workers’ Union, claimed that the buses during this time won’t move from bus stands across the state. However, the buses already on the route won’t be stopped. This is being done to put pressur on government to meet their demands, including seeking post-retirement benefit and salaries.
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Yogi Adityanath

Highlighting the state of education in India, the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report released on Monday revealed that a quarter of the population in the country are not completing lower secondary education, which makes for 26.6 crore adults and 3.3 crore young population unable to read.The report highlights that despite the Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) 4 calling for 12 years of free quality education for all, 28 lakh children are out of school as education is compulsory only till the age of 12 years.Talking about accountability in education, the report mentions that India spends below the benchmark for education financing, which is 3.8 percent of GDP on education not 5 percent and 14 percent of public expenditure instead of 15 percent. It highlights the responsibility of all education stakeholders primarily government to provide universal quality education and stresses that accountability is indispensable in achieving the goal of Sustainable Development on Education.It also mentions that there is an inequality in education standards between men and women, between general category and scheduled tribes and scheduled caste as well, which is a big challenge to improving the quality of education in the country. As compared to 73 percent of poorest males, 67 percent of poorest females have completed their primary education. The higher education attendance ratio among Scheduled Tribes is 12 percent and that of scheduled caste is 15 percent which is way below the national average of 23 percent in the year 2010.An analysis of several National Sample Surveys in India over 1983–2010 indicated that, despite progress, the education level of scheduled tribes and castes was far below average. The higher education attendance ratio among scheduled tribes increased from 2 percent to 12 percent and that of scheduled castes from 4 percent to 15 percent, compared to a national average of 23 percent in 2010.The report mentions what needs to be done to improve the quality of education which includes — improving school inspection, controlling teacher absenteeism, better regulation of private tutoring, better regulation of private sector, not linking teacher’s salary to student’s test scores.Talking about the report, Shigeru Aoyagi, Director and UNESCO Representative said, “With millions of children still not going to school, and many not achieving minimum proficiency levels at school, indicates that education systems are not on track.”Economic survey in the year 2016-17 recommended using biometrics to tackle teacher absenteeism in primary schools. However, the suggestion was met with protests from teachers, along with technical implementation challenges.The report that highlights the responsibility of all education stakeholders primarily government to provide universal quality education and stresses that accountability is indispensable in achieving the goal of Sustainable Development on Education.I also warns that disproportionate blame on any one actor for systemic educational problems can have serious negative side effects, widening inequality and damaging learning.OUT OF SCHOOLNearly 12 lakh children are out of school as education is compulsory only till the age of 12, says UNESCO India spends below the benchmark for education financing, which is 3.8 percent of GDP on education, according to the GEM report
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Yogi Adityanath

The Bombay High Court, in a major relief to Mumbaikars, on Monday restrained the Reliance Infrastructure-led Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) from hiking the fares for the Versova-Ghatkopar Metro route.The bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur refused to approve a 2015 recommendation of the Metro Fare Fixation Committee, which proposed a hike of up to Rs 110. The Mumbai Metro Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), which has stakes in the project, had challenged the proposed hike. The court asked the Union government to form a fresh committee within one month, which would decide on the issue in the next three months.A spokesperson from the company said “We are studying the detailed order and will take the appropriate legal course.”The first elevated metro operations of the city began in June 2014 and the introductory fare was Rs 10 for a one-way journey along the 11.4-km stretch. It was subsequently increased to Rs 40, the entire distance one side. In July 2015, the fare fixation committee suggested a new fare range of Rs 10-110, instead of the existing Rs10 to 40. Citing heavy losses, the MMOPL had later announced that starting December 1, 2015, the fares would be increased by Rs 5.The MMOPL had argued for the increase, claiming that it was not able to meet the operation costs. On December 17, 2015, in an interim order, the HC had stayed the proposed fare hike.The MMOPL had moved the Supreme Court against the high court’s order, but the apex court refused to interfere. The fare fixation committee led by a retired SC judge, had recommended increasing the fare up to Rs110.
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Yogi Adityanath

On her last day in office, Chief Justice Manjula Chellur of the Bombay High Court, allowed the petition filed by Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), challenging the fare fixation committee report of 2015, allowing Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), an arm of Reliance Infrastructure, to hike fares upto Rs 110.The court has asked the Union of India to form a new committee on receiving an application by the company, which will have to decide the issue within three months. Until then the company has been restrained to increase the fare.Also readMumbai Metro: Passengers take to social media to complain about ‘non-functional air-conditioning system’The MMOPL had argued for the increase on the ground that it was not able to meet the operation cost and was having difficulty in paying the interest on the loan taken to build the Metro.The MMOPL had started operations on the 11.4km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar route from June 7, with a promotional fare of Rs10. Thereafter, the fares were increased to Rs10, Rs20, Rs30 and Rs40, depending on distance. The court had upheld the initial fare hike.Later, the three-member FFC, led by a retired SC judge, had recommended increasing the fare up to Rs110. The maximum fare currently levied for the ride is Rs 40.The committee report has been challenged by the MMRDA in the high court. It was said by MMRDA that as per the agreement the fares cannot be raised by the company. Also readMake In India’ a bane for Mumbai Metro?
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Yogi Adityanath